Page 53 of Beast

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Marinah

Iwas too tired to sleep.My finger twirled absently through the hair on King’s chest.He was awake too.“Why did the men take a knee when I went into Nova Warrior form?”I asked.

King rolled over so we were facing each other.My hand slid to the side, but he caught it and placed it back on his chest.

“You won’t like the answer,” he said.“I can tell you when we’re ready to leave, and then you won’t need to think about it until it’s time to return.”

That didn’t sound good, but I had no idea why.“You’re scaring me.”

“We should enjoy our time together.”

“How am I supposed to enjoy it with this hanging over me?You need to tell me now.”

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.For several long minutes, he didn’t say anything.If his eyes had been closed, I might have thought he’d fallen asleep.Even though it killed me, I gave him the time he needed.

“Shadow Warriors were different on the home planet,” he finally said.

“From what I read; they were homicidal maniacs.”

“That about covers it.Only the strongest became leaders.”

“Okay, that’s something I know,” I said, my unease growing.

“There were different levels of strong.The Nova Warriors were far above others, and they are the ones who ruled.”He stopped, letting the words sink in.

“What exactly are you saying?”

He rolled back toward me and gently brushed hair from my cheek.“You’re our king.Or, more precisely, our queen.You lead the Shadow Warriors by default.”

What did he just say?I lay there stunned for a moment.

“Do I have a say in this?”

I saw his slight smile in the darkness.“You have a say on everything.Your word is a command.”

I covered his mouth with my fingers.“Stop.I’m not ready for this nonsense.”

His hand moved to my breast, and my fingers dropped from his lips.

“Are you ready for more ofthisnonsense?”His eyes sparked with desire.

I groaned when he put pressure on my nipple.Only one more thought entered my head before I gave into temptation.

If I thought the world was crazy before, it was completely insane now.

Chapter Twenty-Five

King

Marinah handled it better than I expected.She refused to mention a word about her Nova or being Queen.Like I said, better than expected.Before we came here, Beck asked if she understood what had happened.He laughed when I asked if he was planning to tell her.His exact words were, “Throw me in a pit of hellhounds first.”

Wise man.

We held our own service for Ryan as we watched the sun go down during our second night on the island.I told her stories of Ryan when we fought for the Federation that made her laugh and then cry in my arms.I wiped her tears and then gave her time alone.When she returned to the cabin, I held her until she fell asleep.

We had four incredible days of bliss before she decided to voice her concerns about being Nova.We were in bed in the early afternoon, enjoying some uninterrupted adult time.Her head rested on my chest, her body half on mine, when she said, “I can’t be a leader.I’ve just commanded my first unit.Leaders need experience.”

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